[escepticos] 2 años de JREF: y los premios Pigasus!!!!

[planetario@...>]

Esta en ingles, pero puede merecer la pena (de parte de James Randi):
On the second anniversary of its founding in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the
James Randi
Educational Foundation (JREF) announces what should be good news for
psychics.
The "Club 2000" prize, one million dollars awardable to any person who
provides
good evidence to prove any psychic, supernatural, or occult power or event,
is still
unclaimed.  It's now even more accessible.

Over the years, several psychics have excused themselves from trying for the
prize with
the objection that the cash has not been easily accessible.  We've purchased
US$1,000,000 in agency securities -- immediately negotiable instruments --
held in
a special Prize Account for this specific purpose.   There now can be no
impediment
whatsoever to the thousands of psychics worldwide making immediate
application to
take the prize -- unless, of course,  they don't have the powers they claim.

There are a few high-minded psychics out there who have expressed complete
confidence in their ability to win the challenge, but choose to scorn the
prize money,
saying that vying for cash is beneath their dignity.  For them, we suggest
that they win
the challenge and donate the money to worthy causes such as feeding hungry
children,
AIDS research, or any other charity they may designate.

In actuality, the prize amounts to US$1.2 million, pledged by more than 300
persons
in 13 countries around the world.  With the establishment of the James Randi
Educational Foundation Prize Account, held by Goldman Sachs, New York, JREF
thereby guarantees the first one million of that pledging -- immediately
payable to the
claimant -- with its own assets.  Should the prize be won, it would be the
eventual
responsibility of the Foundation to collect all the individual pledges and
thereby
replenish the prize account.

The book of signed pledges is on view at the Foundation.  Those who have
made
pledges constitute the "Club 2000," and have as their mascot Pigasus, the
Flying Pig.
We believe that the symbolism of the Pigasus figure is obvious.

Terms of the challenge are available on the World Wide Web at
http://www.randi.org
or by personal application to the Foundation.

------
Announcing the official
1997
Pigasus Awards
 from the
James Randi Educational Foundation.

On April 1st, we award the coveted Pigasus awards in four categories, for
accomplishments in the year previous.  The awards are of course announced
via
telepathy, the winners are allowed to predict their winning, and the Flying
Pig trophies
are sent via psychokinesis. We send; if they don't receive, that's probably
due to their
lack of ability.

This year, 1998, we award the prizes to:

Category #1, to the scientist who said or did the silliest thing related to
the
supernatural, paranormal or occult, goes to Dr. Michael Guillen of ABC-TV
News.
The science editor of ABC-TV's "Good Morning America" since 1988, Dr.
Guillen
has supported all manner of questionable "New Age" notions, usually by
featuring
endorsements by celebrities.  Dr. Guillen holds Ph.D. degrees in physics,
mathematics,
and astronomy, and should know better.  ABC-TV refers to him as, "a leader
in this
nation's campaign to eliminate science and math illiteracy."  Judging from
his
indiscriminate promotion of pseudoscience and quackery, we don't think so.
(See
"Media" Award, below.)

Category #2, to the funding organization that supported the most useless
study of a
supernatural, paranormal or occult claim, goes to the National Institutes of
Health,
whose budget for their Office of Alternative Healing began as two million
dollars, and
now amounts to twenty million.  This money, originally marked to do "basic
research"
on alternative healing claims such as homeopathy, acupuncture, and
chiropractic, has
been dribbled away on peripheral claims of individual quack advocates.  In
our
thinking, "basic research" should address such questions as, "Does
chiropractic work?"
rather than, "How much pressure is exerted on the spinal column by the
thumbs of the
chiropractor?"  As we've said before, an apt definition of "the spinal
column" is: "It
supports the head, the neck, and the chiropractor."

Category #3, to the media outlet that reported as fact the most outrageous
supernatural, paranormal or occult claim, the prize goes to ABC-TV News, for
their
unquestioning and enthusiastic endorsement of "cold fusion," ESP,
psychokinesis,
astrology, "magnetic therapy," and all sorts of junk science and highly
questionable
"alternative healing" modalities.
Category #4, to the "psychic" performer who fooled the greatest number of
people
with the least talent, is given this year to all the psychics, astrologers,
fortune tellers,
spiritualists, and palm readers who, though they were consulted a matter of
hours
before her death,  all failed to see any danger for Princess Di.  These were
the best of
the best, highly paid and respected by Di and her friends.  So much for
professional
help.
  1997

The James Randi Educational Foundation
201 S.E. 12th St (E. Davie Blvd)
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316-1815,  U.S.A.
+1 954 467 1660 (fax)     +1 954 467 1112 (phone)
randi en randi.org


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